How did you decide when last BF session would be?

[okinawama]

My son is 13mo old and we made it the year BF mark. He is still breastfeeding once a day, maybe twice; I was willing to go longer, but he seems very disinterested in BF, so I've kind of taken his lead and we are weaning.

His best BF is in the morning, however, even that one he's really not interested in and doesn't miss it at all if DH takes the morning shift. The bed time feed my little guy is even more disinterested and often will suck for maybe 2 min max and then refuse the second side. He never acts interested during the day.

Since he seems fairly disinterested I've often wondered how I will know when his last BF should be. Did you just decide on a date (not really keen on this idea)? Did your LO just begin to refuse completely? Did you begin to skip feedings?

[SnuggleBuggles]

My boys both self weaned, and did it like you described. I don't remember when they both started seeming disinterested/ being cool with skipping a feeding but both nursed till 18ish months. I kept ds2 nursing 2-3 months longer than he probably would have nursed because of flu season. I don't recall how I really decided what day to be done though- I'm sorry!

[hoodlims]

I was a working mom with DD and went to 13m with her (BF twice a day). I gave it up on my birthday as a present to my body. Then I got pregnant a week later.

[citymama]

DD1 self weaned. She "gave up" one day when we were on vacation - she was 18 months old - and I was distraught. I was not ready. She returned to nursing, with very little interest, for the next few weeks, and it gave me time to prepare myself. If I didn't offer, she didn't want to nurse. My supply had tanked at this time, so I decided that the end of the month (random date) would be the last day, and that was that.

DD2 is another story. No matter how much my supply dips, she wants to nurse. She is now 25 months and I am quite ready, but she is not. I am going to let her decide when to stop, but I suspect it will be in the next month or two. (Of course, I said this in April as well!)

I have been able to drop to 2-3 nursing sessions a day by making bottle time more fun (lots of cuddles, stories, books) and by restricting nursing to morning, nap and bedtime at the most - sometimes we will skip the morning session. She used to ask to snack all the time, but won't any more. With DD1, she took to the bottle like a moth to flame, and it was more about my being ready than her being ready.

Good luck and congrats on nursing your DS for 13 months!

[HannaAddict]

I didn't. It just happened, though with the first two I was pregnant with another baby and started having my husband do bedtime cuddles. The first weaned at 26 months and I was a about 26 weeks pregnant, the second was a month from age three and I was also about 24-25 weeks along. Baby number 3 at age two has redoubled his commitment to BF in morning, nap and bedtime though he will go down for someone else without it. No idea when he will lose interest but after the struggle to start with my first, I'm just going with it. I'd hoped to do it six months when I was a new mom to be!